Redcap's Corner Pathfinder

Duskblade

Role: A powerful duskblade can duel a fighter to a stand-still and match a wizard spell for spell—for a while, at least. But a duskblade really comes into her own when she embraces her hybrid nature, using a quick-cast spell to supplement her melee attacks or combining a touch spell with a devastating sword strike.

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: A duskblade is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armour (heavy, light, and medium) and shields (except tower shields). A duskblade can cast duskblade spells while wearing light armour or while using a light shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a duskblade wearing medium armour, heavy armour, or using a heavy shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass duskblade still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Spells: A duskblade casts arcane spells drawn from the duskblade spell list. She can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a duskblade must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a duskblade’s spell is 10 + the spell level + her Intelligence modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a duskblade can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on the table above. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intelligence score (Core Rulebook, pg. 17, table 1-3).

A duskblade’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A duskblade begins play knowing two 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of her choice. She also knows an additional number of 0-level spells equal to her Intelligence bonus. At each new duskblade level, she gains one new spell of any level she can cast, chosen from the duskblade spell list. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a duskblade knows is not affected by her Intelligence score; the numbers are fixed.)

Upon reaching 5th level, and at every odd-numbered duskblade level after that (7th, 9th, and so on), a duskblade can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows. In effect, she loses the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level spell she can cast. A duskblade may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that she gains new spells known for the level.

Unlike a wizard or a cleric, a duskblade need not prepare her spells in advance. She can cast any spell she knows at any time, assuming she has not yet used up her spells per day for that spell level.

Arcane Attunement (Sp): A duskblade can use the spell-like abilities dancing lights(Core Rulebook, pg. 263), detect magic(Core Rulebook, pg. 267), flare(Core Rulebook, pg. 284), ghost sound(Core Rulebook, pg. 289), and read magic(Core Rulebook, pg. 330) at will. These spell-like abilities do not count against her total of spells known or spells per day.

Cantrips: A duskblade learns a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, as noted in the spells section above. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume any slots and may be used again.

Arcane Channeling (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, a duskblade can use a standard action to cast any touch spell she knows and deliver the spell through her weapon with a melee attack. Casting a spell in this manner does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The spell must have a casting time of 1 standard action or less. If the melee attack is successful, the attack deals damage normally; then the effect of the spell is resolved.

At 13th level, she can cast any touch spell she knows as part of a full attack action, and the spell affects each target she hits in melee combat that round. Doing so discharges the spell at the end of the round, in the case of a touch spell that would otherwise last longer than 1 round.

Medium Armour (Ex): At 4th level, a duskblade can cast duskblade spells while wearing medium armour without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane
spellcaster, a duskblade wearing heavy armour or using a heavy shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component.

Quick Cast (Su): Beginning at 5th level, a duskblade can cast one spell each day as a swift action, so long as the casting time of the spell is 1 standard action or less.

She can use this ability twice per day at 10th level, three times per day at 15th level, and four times per day at 20th level.

Spell Power (Ex): Starting at 6th level, a duskblade can more easily overcome the spell resistance of any opponent she successfully injures with a melee attack. If a duskblade has injured an opponent with a melee attack, she gains a +2 bonus on her caster level checks to overcome that target’s spell resistance in subsequent rounds for the remainder of the encounter. This bonus increases to +3 at 11th level, to +4 at 16th level, and to +5 at 18th level.

Heavy Shield (Ex): At 7th level, a duskblade can cast duskblade spells while using a heavy shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a duskblade wearing heavy armour incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component.